Graphitic self-assembly

Most studies of ORR catalysis by metalloporphyrins have been carried out using water-insoluble catalysts absorbed on a graphite electrode in contact with aqueous solution. In a limited number of cases, four other approaches have been used catalysts imbedded in an inert film (i.e., Nafion or lipid) on the electrode surface self-assembled monolayers of catalysts catalysts in aqueous or mixed organic/aqueous solutions in contact with an electrode and catalysis in mixed aqueous/organic medium using... 

Hill, J. P., Jin, W. S., Kosaka, A., et al., Self-assembled hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene graphitic nanotube. Science 2004, 304, 1481-1483. 

Bipyridine units have also formed the basis for SAMs in which conformationally pure domains are formed during self-assembly. This is demonstrated in the case of the dendritic wedge-appended series which includes the bipyridine 64, which forms a series of homoconformational domains when deposited on a graphite surface <2005JA4033>. In this case, the as- and trans-forms of the bipyridine define the different domains. 

Okawa and Aono [50] demonstrated under ambient conditions a diacetylen chain polymerization induced in a self assembled monolayer of 10,12-nonacosadiyonic acid on graphite. First an artificial defect was created with the STM tip by applying a positively pulsed sample bias, the polymerization of a single diacetylene monolayer chain was initiated at another surface location with a negative voltage pulse. After progression of the chain reaction, the polymer chain was terminated at the artificial defect site. 

Fig. 2 a Schematic illustration of the formation of a helical supramolecular graphitic nanotube of 3. b TEM image of self-assembled 3. (Reprinted with permission from [37]. Copyright 2004 American Association for the Advancement of Science)... 

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